Sometime late Friday afternoon, one of the golf world’s legendary figures probably will finish his final round of competitive golf in the Masters.
That’s when 67-year-old Bernhard Langer, accompanied by Wake Forest alum Will Zalatoris and 20-year-old amateur Noah Kent, will be greeted with a lengthy applause by the Masters faithful while walking up the 18th fairway at Augusta National.
No, the two-time Masters champion probably won’t receive the same long cascade of cheers Jack Nicklaus received at the 18th green at Augusta National in 2005, the emotional ovation Arnold Palmer received at the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont, or the rousing farewell Tom Watson encountered while walking over the Swilican Bridge at St. Andrews in 2015.
But Langer’s goodbye will be — and should be — celebrated by Augusta fans. Playing in his 41st Masters is a testament to the consistent greatness of the German known more for his perseverance, longevity and graciousness than any fist pump.
Perhaps overlooked due to his stoic consistency, Langer was a major figure in a wave of greats including Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal that brought Europe to the forefront of world golf in the 1980s and 1990s.
It was Langer who played the dramatic lead when the U.S. vs. Europe rivalry came to a heated head at the 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island, aka “The War at the Shore.” Faced with an all-or-nothing, 5 1/2-foot putt to decide the outcome.
Langer missed the putt and the U.S. regained the cup on what may have been golf’s most pressure-packed putt given the rivalry and animosity between the two sides.
The devastating miss could have derailed Langer’s career. In the group just in front, Mark Calcavecchia crumbled under the pressure, blowing a 4-hole lead on the last four holes, including shanks into water on the par-3 17th, to send the outcome to the final match and Langer’s putt.
With Hale Irwin and Langer battling on the final hole, Calcavecchia made a sad, solitary retreat to the nearby beach in shame. It was another 11 years before he qualified for another Ryder Cup.
As for Langer, he rebounded the next week to win the German Masters.
In 1993, he won his second Masters at Augusta by four strokes over Chip Beck. A Christian, Langer put the victory in perspective.
“I said then and I still believe the same: The first one was important because I was now a major winner; you’re in a different category as a player and to the public. But the ’93 one was personally and emotionally even more important to me because I won it on Easter Sunday,” told reporters this week.
A few hours after winning the Green Jacket for the second time, after the ceremonies, photos and handshakes were over, Langer made his way over to the media building, where only a dozen or so reporters (I was one) — the guys writing multiple stories — remained working.
A gracious Langer visited with us for a half an hour or so, having a few beers and sharing a few stories. Off the record, no notebooks or tape recorders.
That was 32 years ago. After that he won 14 more times on the European Tour. He’s added a record 47 victories — ironically, he passed Irwin, who has 45 — on the Champions Tour, including a U.S. Senior Open title at age 65 in 2023.
Who knows how many tournaments, including majors, Langer would have won if his putting had been better during his prime? He struggled horribly with the short stick before going to a long putter in the mid-90s. Langer said he’s conquered “the yips” four times over the years.
Only five years ago, Langer tied for 29th at Augusta. So, maybe his final round will be Sunday afternoon — after making the cut.
